Job Description

The Opportunity

The Civil Engineering Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, invites applications and nominations for Department Chair. Embry-Riddle is seeking a department chair who is collaborative, student-focused, and a research leader.  The ideal candidate will be a team player who knows how to build consensus and set forward a vision for a growing department, including increasing the number of students and faculty and establishing a PhD program. The Department Chair will maintain Embry-Riddle’s emphasis on student success while leading forward the continued growth in research stature.

The College of Engineering includes five academic departments: Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering Fundamentals, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. The Civil Engineering Department aspires to strengthen its support of the university’s mission by continuously integrating aviation and aerospace principles into the curriculum and research initiatives.  The 12 full-time faculty members in the Civil Engineering department serve most of the approximately 3,200 undergraduate students in the College of Engineering and support their own approximately 90 undergraduate students and ten graduate students.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is an independent, culturally diverse institution providing quality education and research in aviation, aerospace, engineering, and other related fields with residential campuses located in Daytona Beach, Florida; Prescott, Arizona; and Singapore – as well as a Worldwide campus that provides educational opportunities online and at approximately 130 locations throughout the United States, Asia, Europe, and Central/South America.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, with more than 70 Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. programs in Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The Daytona Beach Campus serves a diverse student body of approximately 8,500 students. The research focus areas at Embry-Riddle are strategic and continue to evolve as technology and the world around us change incrementally. Some of our civil engineering focus areas include climate impact from the aviation industry, climate change effects on substructures, structural health monitoring, assessing the resilience of natural and built environments, and resilient transportation systems. To further support aviation and aerospace convergent research, the University has established Centers of Excellence such as the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety and the Center for Aerospace Resilience.

As a tenured faculty member in the College of Engineering, the successful candidate will have demonstrated an exemplary research and scholarly record, leadership skills, project management, personnel development, strategic planning, and budget management. The position also requires working collaboratively with internal and external constituents as a department, college, and university team member. Additionally, candidates should have experience with a broad range of innovative instruction and assessment methods. The ideal candidate will have a clear vision for supporting the growth of the Civil Engineering Department.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Candidates must hold a doctoral degree in civil engineering or other related fields, have a successful record of scholarship and securing external funding from diverse agencies and industries, and be committed to teaching excellence. Successful candidates must have excellent leadership and communication skills in written and spoken English and the necessary qualifications at the time of employment to be appointed as a tenured full professor in the Civil Engineering Department.

Diversity

Embry-Riddle values diversity: we respect the rights and property of all individuals, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, physical disability, economic background, sexual orientation, or religious belief. We believe in a community where all members feel welcomed and individuals or groups are free from harassment.  We strongly encourage individuals from populations traditionally underrepresented and underserved in STEM – women, Blacks, Latinx, Native Americans, persons of all gender identities and/or sexual orientation – to apply.

Equal Opportunity

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, handicap, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

Application Process and Additional Information

Consideration of applications will begin on September 15, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled; the anticipated start date is negotiable. Applications should include a current CV and a detailed cover letter discussing experience, academic and leadership qualifications, and background that strongly aligns with the Civil Engineering Department and the position. Selected candidates must secure three professional references as part of the review process. Application materials should be submitted electronically through the Embry-Riddle Careers Website. Questions can be emailed to Dr. Sherif Ishak, Search Committee Chair, at Ishaks@erau.edu.